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Ian Wright has advised Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi to resist any further overtures from Liverpool this summer, in order to safeguard his prospects of playing for England in the 2026 World Cup. Despite having engaged in talks with the reigning Premier League champions, it's understood that there's a discrepancy in valuations between the two clubs.
Football is full of surprises and a transfer could still materialize this month. However, Palace boss Oliver Glasner is hesitant to let his Community Shield-winning captain leave as the new season kicks off this weekend.
The 25-year-old now seems more likely to depart on a free transfer next summer – if he doesn't extend his contract – providing Liverpool with the chance to wait and sign him without needing to fork out a fee.
Liverpool currently has limited choices at center-back, including Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konate. And, with Jarell Quansah now plying his trade at Bayer Leverkusen, Arne Slot is on the hunt for another defensive reinforcement.
Luckily for the Reds, a deal has been agreed with Parma for 18-year-old Giovanni Leoni. A medical has been arranged, potentially putting the kibosh on any late summer swoop for Guehi – much to Wright's apparent delight.
Guehi remains on their radar, though, and could potentially be snapped up on a reduced fee before the transfer window shuts or as a free agent next summer.
Premier League legend Wright has expressed his belief that a summer move could be detrimental for Marc Guehi, given the upcoming international preparations for next year's World Cup.
On The Overlap's Stick to Football podcast, the former Arsenal striker insisted that Guehi should stay in south London for another season. Wright stated: "If you look at someone like Guehi right, why would you leave now? It's a World Cup year, you don't want to go somewhere you might not play because Konate's still there isn't he?"
Fellow pundits Gary Neville and Roy Keane suggested that Guehi's mentality would likely focus on securing a starting position with Liverpool, but Wright countered by asking: "Will he start if Konate is there? Will he start?".
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher offered his perspective, suggesting that Guehi could arrive at Anfield and challenge Konate for the starting spot, given his credentials as an international performer and Palace success story.
The former Reds defender commented: "I think the fact that he [Konate] is injury prone and the fact he hasn't signed as well. The longer he doesn't sign, I think the more the manager will say, 'If you're not committed, you're not playing.'
"Because before, Liverpool had them two centre-backs and the lad behind him was Quansah who's left, that wasn't competition, that was just an understudy. He's [Guehi] an England international. This is like, 'I'm going for your place, Im fighting with you for the position', and the longer he doesn't sign."
When speaking to journalists on Thursday, manager Slot kept his cards close to his chest about Guehi, redirecting questions towards Palace instead of the defender's prospective new club.
Discussing both Leoni and Guehi, he commented: "The clubs have agreed a deal but he hasn't signed for us yet. The moment when he signs for us, I can go into more detail.
"And the other one (Guehi) is of course the answer you always get from me. No, (I cannot go into more detail) because he is not our player and unfortunately he was the captain of the team where we lost against last Sunday.
"No, if you want to have any talks about him, you should go to Palace, to (Oliver) Glasner and ask him his opinion about him."
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